Corner brace for hand luggage



Oct. 30, 1951 J. LUFT 2,573,036

CORNER BRACE FOR HAND LUGGAGE Filed July 9, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Oct. 30, 1951 CORNER BRACE FOR HAND LUGGAGE John Luft, Oshkosh, Wis., assignor to Oshkosh Trunks and Luggage, Oshkosh, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application July 9, 1948, Serial No. 37,914

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a corner brace for boxtype hand luggage which is made up in various sizes and styles, but built over a reenforcing box of wood or the like which is covered by a suitable canvas or other material.

In much luggage of this kind, the box corners are rounded. Such a change in form is accomplished by any of the conventionally practiced methods. Nevertheless it is the rounded corners which are the points of greatest weakness and which are subjected to the severest shocks. As a result, breaking or weakening of the wooden box usually takes place in one of the corner curves where a condition of stress is encountered, or where an insert is built in.

My invention aims to provide, for such a curved corner of a luggage box, a specially formed brace which will better condition the luggage to withstand severe shocks in service. This brace is light, inexpensive, compact, and applicable with a minimum of efiort. It consists primarily of an arcuate plate extending through perhaps 90 with a single outwardly extending marginal flange. Such a flanged plate is adapted to be secured on one of the curved faces of each corner of the reenforcing box, and be firml secured in place by any appropriate fastening means. When fitted in place the marginal flange of the plate is adapted to overlie and rest upon the edge of the curved corner where its protrusion is negligible so that a desired covering material may be applied thereover to the box in the usual way.

Certain suggestive embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a piece of hand luggage of the box type, with portions of the covering and lining broken away at two of the corners so as to expose to view at such places the special brace feature of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View in section through one curved corner of a plywood box reenforcement in a plane which is medial of an interiorly applied brace;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the same brace in its operative position upon a plywood box reeniorcement;

Fig. 4 which is a view similar to Fig. 2, shows the brace modified in construction for application to the reenfor'cing box exteriorly thereof;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of one curved corner of a plywood box reenforcement to which is exteriorly applied the present brace;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 7, showing a pair of reenforcing boxes each of single ply construction with a stepped top edge on the body and a chamfered bottom edge for its associated cover, a plurality of braces being fitted thereto;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the box body corner shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section-perspective view of the box body corner shown in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of the brace per se.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is here illustrated a piece of luggage comprising a body B to which is hinged a cover C. The body comprises a box-like reenforcing structure having a bottom 10 along the margin of which are upwardly extended interconnected sides l2 having top edges 14. The cover also comprises a box-like reenforcing structure having a top 20 along the margins of which are downwardly extending interconnected walls 22 having bottom edges 24. When the cover is closed down upon the body, the edges 24 and [4 are adapted to abut. A box like structure of the kind noted is commonly used for reenforcement of either the body or cover, or

both, and may be produced from wood, either single or multi-ply. Since the construction of the reenforcing structure for either the body or cover is the same, a detailed description of but one, and of the brace of my invention in relation thereto, will suffice.

The plywood box of Figs. 2-5 is provided with round corners each produced by bending through a curve of In executin this bend, the innermost ply is, of necessity, placed under compression and the outermost ply under tension, consequently a condition of stress tends to remain at each corner of the body and cover. While this is not serious so long as the luggage is handled with reasonable care, it does offer a point of weakness in the event that the luggage is mishandled and subjected to a severe shock that is registered at one corner of the case. This point of weakness is concentrated largely along the exposed edges Id and 24 of the body and cover respectively.

To reenforce the case at these curved corners, I provide a brace b in the form of a metallic plate which is best shown in Fig. 3. This comprises an apron 30, extended through perhaps 90, and having at its top marginal flange 32 which may be extended outwardly (see Figs. 2, 3, and 9) or inwardly (see Figs. 4. and 5). Such a brace is desirably made of metal, plastic, or other suitable material which preferably will not corrode so as to obviate any discoloring of the lining Z or outside covering of canvas or the like. The two ends of the brace apron, as shown, are rounded upwardly at 34 and adjacent thereto are holes 36 through which may be driven a small nail or brad 38 which enters the plywood structure to be anchored therein. The marginal flange 32, as shown, overlies the exposed edge l4 0r 2 of the body or cover, as the case may be. It may also be desirable to taper the width of this flange so that it presents a crescent-shaped formation decreasing gradually to a point of minimum width at its ends which merge into the contiguous edge portions of the apron at the top thereof as shown.

According to the constructionof Figs. 4. and 5, the apron 40 of the brace b is fitted along the outside of each curved corner of the reenforcing box, the flange 42 being turned inwardly tooverlie the exposed edge 14 or 24 of the box in the manner best shown in Fig. 5. Fastening devices 48 driven through the apron and into the plywood structure serve to hold the brace in place. In all other respects this brace b is the same as the one already described.

In practice the brace is secured in place before the external covering material 0 and internal lining Z is applied to the box. The presence of the brace ofiers no interference to the securing of such internal and external coverings since the material of which the brace is formed is so thin as to offer a negligible protrusion. In addition, the brace flange need not completely overlie the exposed edge of the body or cover, as the case may be, thereby permitting adhesive which is used to secure the lining l and covering 0 to the box,

to maintain a continuous contact along the edges 14 and 24.

Referring now to Figs. 6-8, the box reenforcement here shown is of single ply construction. Each box side 12 continues straight along its inner face to join at the corner with a curved molded insert 58 which is customarily glued in place. The inner face of this insert is curved, and exteriorly of the insert the box sides are also curved to join with the insert which extends between them to provide, in effect, a corner filler. The result is a curved corner having substantially a uniform thickness at every point and which, when finished off with an exterior covering, is indistinguishable in appearance from the plywood construction previously described. To further reenforce such a molded insert corner, an exterior fabric patch 52 may be applied, as shown.

The two complementary boxes used for the body and cover of the case are characterized by exposed edges which coact with each other. As indicated in Fig. 6, each side E2 of the body box is rabbeted along its exposed edge at 54 thereby providing upper and lower steps which are separated by an inclined riser 56. The exposed bottom edge of the box sides 22 used in the cover C are desirably chamfered at 58 upon their inner faces so as to coact in a desired manner with the exposed two-step edge 5] of the body box. As shown clearly in Fig. 6, the narrowed bottom edge of the cover box is adapted to rest upon the lower step of the top edge of the body box with the chamfered face of the cover box then positioned in substantial engagement with the outside corner of the top step of the exposed edge of the body box. Such a construction is conventional at the present time. I

The brace b or brace b of this invention maybe used advantageously with such a construction and be applied to the boxes of both the body and the cover in the manner best illustrated in Fig. 6. Here it will be noted that as many as three braces may be used at each corner, one b being applied interiorly to the body box, another I) exteriorly to the same box so that its flange 42 will rest upon the lower step of its exposed edge, and the third b" to the exterior of the cover box with its flange 42 overlying the narrowed bottom edge thereof. Fastenifng means, such as small nails 48, are driven through holes 36 near each end of the brace to become anchored in the walls I2 or 22, as the case may be. A brace so positioned and secured bridges the molded insert to afford enhanced protection thereto, particularly where its exposed edges are so thin as to benefit by this reenforcement. It will be observed that in such a construction a single brace is used for the cover corner and two braces for the body corner, and that the narrowed exposed edges of each are overlaid by the flanges of the braces thus used. Whether or not two braces should be applied to each body boxisa matter of choice, but where added protection required, the extra brace may be employed as suggested.

According to this invention, the luggage toreceive the present brace is provided with a reenforcing box having a curved corner with an exposed edge. The curved brace is applied to one face of the box so as to extend through the major distanceof itscurve, and is so shaped as to engage through substantially its entire length with the box face at its curved corner. Inaddition, each brace is formed with a flange that is extended from one longitudinal edge of thebrace so as to lie in a plane transversely of the axis of the curved corner of'the box, and is then adapted to engage the exposed edge of the box and extend thereupon for a major portion of the length of the curve. The flange length is desirably less than the width of the exposed box edge with which it engages, and the flange width decreases toward its opposite ends sothat an increasing width of the box edge will be exposed for contact by the covering material, which is applied over the box exterior.

A piece of luggage having a box reinforcement with curved cornersthat are protected by braces of the kind herein disclosed will withstand to an enhanced extent very hard usage and shocks which may be encountered in service. As a result, anincreased life is assuredto each lu gage piece whichis. so protected, and damage thereto is obviated in a measurable degree.

I claim:

In combination with a luggage reenforcing box with a curved corner wherein is an interposed molded insert having oppositely curved faces and an exposed edge of reduced thickness, a curved brace fitted to a curved face of the box and extending forthe full curved distance ofthe insert and therebeyond, the brace being. shaped to engage through substantially its entire length with the: box face at the curved corner, a flange extended from one longitudinal edge ofthe brace to lie in a plane transversely of the axis of the curved corner of the box and arranged to engage the exposed relatively. thinedgeof the insert and extend thereupon for amajor. portion of the length thereof, and means foranchoring the brace to the box body at points outwardlyof and beyond, the corner insert.

JQ'HN L T- (References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 101,172 Smith & Fisher Mar. 22, 1870 562,555 Roemer June 23, 1896 1,441,393 Benish Jan. 9, 1923 Number Name Date Dettenborn Dec. 8, 1925 Mahar July 3, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Australia Aug. 6, 1930 Great Britain Apr. 2, 1937 

